Why Did Bea Arthur Walk Away From ‘The Golden Girls’?

The Golden Girls was a comedy powerhouse for seven seasons on NBC, until it concluded its run in 1992 — due in large part to Bea Arthur‘s disinterest in continuing with the show. While ratings had been declining a bit during the seventh season, the show had been a top 10 hit for its first six seasons, as well as an awards magnet — not the type of show that stars usually flee. But Arthur left for two reasons — one of which had to do with her disappointment about how the show handled her character.

Though some believe Arthur left the show because of her on-again, off-again, occasionally icy relationship with co-star Betty White, that really wasn’t it. Despite their extremely different personalities, both stars had a ton of respect for each other.